Steven Fenton

Steven Fenton (Stee-ven Fen-tun) was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in June 2025. Steven is a nonprofit operations specialist with 16 years of experience across roles in higher education and the arts. With a background in development, communications, and volunteer management, Steven joined NEFA in April 2014 as the executive assistant. In March 2017 and September 2018, Steven was promoted to Executive & Operations Manager and then Senior Manager, Human Resources & Executive Affairs, growing his portfolio to include management of NEFA’s human resources and operations work in addition to his work with Executive Director Cathy Edwards and NEFA’s Board. After six years of building out NEFA’s human resources infrastructure, Steven was named NEFA’s first Human Resources & Operations Director, charged with developing strategic and innovative solutions for all matters concerning staff performance, engagement, compensation, benefits, and operational issues and initiatives, ensuring NEFA’s HR and operations practices and policies reflect the organization’s values and strategic goals. In October 2024, Steven’s leadership was recognized with a promotion to NEFA’s executive team in an interim role, ultimately being named Chief Operating Officer as of June 1, 2025. In this role, Steven leads all administrative functions within the organization ensuring NEFA’s systems and processes operate strategically and in alignment with NEFA’s values. While directing all human resources activity, Steven partners closely with staff leadership and teams in finance and technology and data to develop strategic solutions to administrative challenges. Steven received a B.A. in Art History from the University of Vermont and currently lives in Dorchester, MA.    

Return to Board, Advisory, and Staff list